I made a terrarium!

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This isn’t exactly a DIY tutorial, more of me patting myself on the back for actually finishing a DIY project, no matter how simple it may have been. A couple weeks ago, I saw Christine Kobzeff’s video, DIY Succulent Terrarium Ideas, and it seemed like something my completely-uncrafty self could manage. I was determined to get all the supplies in one go, and Amazon Prime came through for me, as it always does.

According to Christine, who is extremely knowledgeable about succulents and terrariums, the first thing you need, other than the terrarium itself (I got this one) is activated charcoal or activated carbon pellets, which helps to keep the terrarium clean and free of ammonia and odors. The second layer of a succulent terrarium should be some small stones or pebbles to help with drainage. I decided to go for this two-pack to ensure I had enough for several terrariums. Next comes the soil. Supposedly, it’s really easy to make your own succulent soil, but I just opted to get this premixed bag of organic stuff. The most difficult thing to find was definitely the top dressing. It’s not absolutely necessary, but adding some kind of decorative sand or gravel to the terrarium makes it a little prettier. I thought the white sand Christine used in her video was beautiful, but I couldn’t find a fine, bright white sand on Amazon, so I went with this white gravel. I think it ended up looking really good! As for the plant itself, I went with a tiny little haworthia because they don’t need a lot of direct sunlight. Luckily, there’s a plant and gardening shop two blocks from me, and they have a little selection of cacti and succulents for $3 each.

Isn’t it adorable? One other thing to note that I wasn’t aware of before is that you should only re-pot plants from dry soil to dry soil, and to wait for about a week to water them. That may explain why the succulents I bought last year died within three days. Altogether, I spent $56, but other than the plant and the terrarium, I have enough supplies to make at least a dozen more small terrariums. Not too shabby. 🙂